Leo♌︎

Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac, the fire sign of warmth and self-expression. The Sun is in Leo from about July 23 to August 22. Leo energy is generous, proud and creative: it wants to shine, to be seen and to bring joy to the people around it.

  • Generous
  • Confident
  • Creative
  • Warm
  • Proud
  • Dramatic
Dates
Jul 23 to Aug 22
Element
Fire
Modality
Fixed
Ruling planet
Sun
Symbol
The Lion

The Leo personality

Leo arrives at the height of summer, when the Sun is strongest and days feel long and golden. Its symbol is the lion, proud and watchful at the center of its pride. People with a strong Leo placement tend to be warm, expressive and happiest when they can give something of themselves.

Leo is a fixed fire sign. Fixed signs hold steady through the middle of a season and stay loyal to what they choose; fire signs are enthusiastic and driven by inspiration. Together they give the sign its reputation for confidence, steady heart and creative drive.

Its traditional ruler is the Sun itself, the center of the chart and the source of vitality and identity. That is why Leo is linked with leadership, performance, play and the need to express who you really are.

Leo in love

In relationships Leo is romantic, loyal and generous. It tends to love openly and with flair: grand gestures, thoughtful gifts, compliments and plenty of affection. It wants to feel adored, and it adores in return.

What Leo needs is a partner who gives honest appreciation and respects its pride. Its challenge in love is sharing the spotlight: listening as much as performing, and admitting a mistake without feeling smaller for it.

Leo at work

Leo does its best work when it can lead, create or perform, and when effort is recognized. It is drawn to the arts, entertainment, teaching, management, event work, fashion, politics, or any role that involves visibility and inspiring others.

It can struggle in jobs where it is overlooked or micromanaged. Leo leaders are generous with credit when they feel secure, and the lesson of the sign is to lead by encouraging others rather than by needing applause.

Leo as a Moon or rising sign

Your Sun sign is only one part of your chart. With the Moon in Leo, feelings are big, warm and easily shown. You tend to need appreciation to feel secure, and you recover through play, creativity and the company of people who enjoy you.

With Leo rising, the sign was coming up over the eastern horizon when you were born. People tend to meet you as confident, expressive and a little larger than life, whatever your Sun sign. You can find both placements by drawing your birth chart.

Strengths

  • Gives freely of time, praise and attention
  • Confident enough to take the stage and carry others along
  • Creative and playful, with a flair for making things special
  • Loyal to the people it loves and quick to defend them
  • Optimistic, and hard to keep down for long

Challenges

  • Needs to be noticed and can feel hurt when it is not
  • Pride makes apologies and asking for help difficult
  • Can dominate a room without realizing it
  • Stubborn once it has taken a position
  • May take on the role of the star rather than a team member

Leo compatibility

Traditionally Leo gets on most easily with the other fire signs, Sagittarius and Aries, who share its enthusiasm, and with the air signs Libra and Gemini, who admire it and keep things lively. Scorpio and Taurus approach life differently, and with so many strong wills the result can be friction or a deep respect. Real compatibility depends on whole charts, not only Sun signs.

Easiest matches

More effort, more growth

Questions about Leo

What are the Leo dates?

The Sun is in Leo from about July 23 to August 22. The exact day it enters and leaves Leo shifts by a day from year to year, so people born near the edges should check with a birth chart.

What element is Leo?

Leo is a fire sign, along with Aries and Sagittarius. It is also a fixed sign, the type that holds steady in the middle of a season.

What planet rules Leo?

The Sun, the center of the chart and the source of vitality, is the traditional ruler of Leo. Astrologers often call it a luminary rather than a planet.

Which signs are most compatible with Leo?

Traditionally Sagittarius, Aries, Libra and Gemini. Compatibility is better judged from both people’s full birth charts than from Sun signs alone.

Keep exploring the zodiac

Or see all twelve signs, and learn how we calculate your chart.